Sociology 336F Immigration and Race Relations in Canada Session 5 Majority Group Attitudes and Racia

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Sociology 336FImmigration and Race Relations in
CanadaSession 5Majority Group Attitudes and
Racial Discrimination October 17, 2006

• Jeffrey G. Reitz
• Department of Sociology
• Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies
• Munk Centre for International Studies
• University of Toronto

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Todays Agenda

• Forms of racism and majority-group attitudes
• Forms of racial discrimination
• Measurement of racism and racial discrimination
• Theories to explain racism

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Topics sequence, logic and inter-relations

• Migration
• Immigration policy
• Demographic impact
• Inter-group relations
• Majority group attitudes
• Minority group responses, communities,
  assimilation, etc.
• Management of inter-group relations
• Conflict
• Policies to address inter-group relations

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Forms of racism and majority-group attitudes

• Racism theory of racial superiority
• Race hatred dislike for racial groups
• Negative stereotypes negative perceptions of
  racial group characteristics
• Prejudice negative evaluation of performance of
  racial groups
• Social distance preferences to exclude racial
  groups
• Ethnic status social honour accorded specific
  racial groups

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Racial discrimination

• Definition Act which negatively affects a member
  of a specific racial group because of membership
  in that group, and not because of individual
  characteristics
• May be
• Overt or covert
• Various motivations
• Racial attitudes
• Economic incentives
• Social pressures

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Racial prejudice vs. racial discrimination
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Indirect, institutional discrimination

• Definition discrimination which results from
  application of rules which are not in themselves
  discriminatory
• Example (micro)
• Requirement for Canadian experience
• Macro
• Educational inflation

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Systemic discrimination

• Definition discrimination which is built into
  both formal and informal organizational practices
• Similar to institutional discrimination but
  broader
• Term introduced by Abella commission on Equality
  in Employment, was basis for Employment Equity
  Law
• Example Health Canada
• Exclusion of minorities
• Informal and formal practices
• Attitudes

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Some further issues of definition

• Negative stereotypes what if they are valid?
• Can minorities be racist
• Is racism in the eye of the beholder?

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Measurement of racism and racial discrimination

• Problems of measurement
• Indirect questions
• Most socially acceptable prejudice social
  distance
• Attitudes to specific policies (immigration,
  multiculturalism)?

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Ethnic status in Canada

• Anglo
• French
• North European
• East European
• South European
• Jewish
• Arab Middle East
• South Asian
• East and Southeast Asian, Chinese, Japanese,
  Korean
• Hispanic
• Black, African, Caribbean
• Aboriginal

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Theories of racism and racial prejudice

• Ideology of domination
• Contact hypothesis
• Threat hypothesis
• Personality e.g. authoritarian, social
  dominance
• Culture and diffusion

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Trends and group differences

• Education
• Age
• Minority groups
• Trends over time, modernization

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Issues for Discussion

• Is Canada a racist society?
• Should racism be confronted, or ignored?
• What about racist groups?

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Next week

• Comparative approach is Canada more tolerant